Engine starter



Dec. 10, 1929. 5, w ELsEY 1,739,028

ENGINE STARTER 'r na Filed pril 11, 1927- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 G. W. ELSEY ENGINE STARTER Dec. 10, 1929.

Original Filed April 11, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet" Patented Dec. 10, 1929 UNITE STATES PATENT oFI-"ici:

GEORGE W. ELSEY, OF.DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO DELGO-REMY CORPORATION, OF DAYTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE ENGINE STARTER Application filed April 11, 1927, Serial No. 182,585. Renewed May 2, 1929.

This invention relates to apparatus for starting an internal-combustion engine, and more particularly to that type of apparatus which includes an electric motor operating a shaft which is normally disconnected from the engine, but may be connected therewith by means including a pinion movable along the shaft into engagement with the gear and engine to be started and to rotate with the shaft, said connecting means including provisions whereby the pinion will be automatically demeshed from the engine gear when the engine becomes self-operative.

. One object of the present invention is to minimize wear and breakage of the gear teeth by providing manually operable means of simple and economical construction for moving the pinion axially into engagement with the engine gear and for rotating the pinion in case of gear tooth abutment in order that the pinion may be nearly fully meshed with the engine gear before the motor is operated.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying.drawings, wherein a preferred embodiment of one form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view partly in longitudinal section showinga form of engine starting apparatus embodying the present in vention, the apparatus being shown in nor-- mal position in which the motor pinion is disconnected fronrthe engine gear;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 but is on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 4: is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the apparatus in condition for starting the engine' Fig. 0 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the apparatus after the engine has become self-operative, but before the manually operable member which controls the starter has been returned to normal position; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of the pinion retaining means, on a larger scale than the other views.

Referring to the drawings, designates the field frame of an electric motor which is attached by any suitable means not shown to a housing, 21. The field frame 20 and the housing 21 support a shaft 22 which is 0perated by the electric motor, said shaft 22 usually being an extension of the motor armature shaft. The shaft 22 is provided with spiral splines 23 and that portion of the splines 23 which is located between the lines 23 and 23 in Fig. 1 is slightly smaller in diameter than the diameter of the remaining spirally splined portion. The shaft 22 is provided with an annular groove 2%, which re ceives the wire split ring 25. The shaft 22 cooperates with thrust washer 26 bearing against a machined surface 27 provided by the housing 21.

A pinion 30, which is provided internally withspiral splines, is mounted to slide longitudinally along the shaft 22 into engagement with the flywheel gear 31 of an engine to be started. Normally the pinion 30 is out of mesh with engine gear 31 and is supported by that portion of the splines 23 which is of smaller diameter, namely that portion located between the lines 23* and 23'. The splined portion of smaller diameter is con nected with the splined portion of larger diameter by shoulder portions 32, which serve as obstruct-ions tending to prevent drifting of the pinion into engagement with engine gear while the engine is running. hen the pinion is in full mesh with the engine gear, the wire split ring will be received by an annular groove 33 provided on the interior of the pinion hub. As the pinion is moved toward the right of the drawings into engagement with the ring 25, said ring is first engaged by an annular abutment 34 of smaller internal diameter than the normal external diameter of the ring 25. As the pinion is forced against the ring, the ring will be contracted slightly in order that the obstruction 34 may pass over it. Then the ring will er:- pand into the groove 33. When the engine becomes self-operative and the pinion is automatically demeshed from the engine gear, the ring 25 will contract again to permit the obstruction 34 to pass beyond it. In this way the pinion is yieldingly maintained in substantially full mesh with the engine gear so that, during the engine cranking operation, the axial movement of the plnion due to variat1on 1n the torque required to crank the engine I will be practically eliminated. It is therefore apparent that the ring serves as a stop, limiting the movement-of the pinion to- .ward the right of the drawings and also as the casing of which is secured to the field frame :20. by screws 46. The lever arm 42 is connected with a pedal 47 which extends -'through a cup-shaped member 48 carried by the floor board 49 of the automobile. A

spring 50, which is located between the member 48 and the head of the rod 47, tends to maintainthe lever 42 in the position shown in Fig. 1.

Inor-derthat the pinion 30 may be moved into mesh with the engine gear 31 before the motor switch isclosed, means are provided for transmitting motion from the lever 42 to the, pinion 30 so that the pinion will be moved endwiserinto mesh with gear 31 and will be rotated in case the teeth of the pinion collide with the end faces of the teeth of the gear 31,

said'means being so constructed and arranged that the motor switch cannot be closed until the pinion has been substantially meshed with the engine gear and that there will be no interference with demeshing of the pinion from the engine gear after the engine starts,

although the lever 42 may still be maintained in operating position. The motion transmitting means comprise chiefly two members whichare connected for movement together longitudinally of the shaft so that one of the members may engage the pinion 30 to move it into mesh with the gear 31, the connection between said members being such that in case motion of the p1n1on 1s arrested by .the engine gear, one of the memberswill impart rotary motion to the other member which engages the pinion. The pinion engaging member and pinion provide axially engaging clutching devices so that the rotary motion produced by motion transmitting means will be imparted to the pinion. One of the motion transmitting members is a pin or stud 51 which is attached to the arm 42 of the lever 42', and the other member is a sleeve 52 which is provided with a slot 58 located obliquely to the axis of the shaft 42 and adapted to receive the pin'51.

The sleeve 52 is provided with teeth 54 which function as a driving clutch member for axially engaging a driven clutch member provided by beveling, as shown at 55 in Fig.

4, the ends of the teeth of the pinion 30 in order to provide clutch teeth 56. In the particular form of the invention shown in the drawings the pinion is a nine tooth pinion and hence is provided with nine clutch teeth 56. The sleeve 52 may be provided with nine teeth 54, but, if it is desirable to reduce the maximum of lost rotary motion between the clutch member, the sleeve may have a multiple of the number of teeth 56, for example eighteen teeth, as shown.

. The sleeve 52 is formed preferably from a blank or punching of flat sheet material, which is provided initially with the teeth 54 and the slot 53. The blank is formed into a cylinder to provide the sleeve 52, which is supported by a hub 60, having spaced flanges 61 and 62 so as to define an annular space 63 which may receive one end of the pin 51. The flange 62 is provided with an annular groove 64 and the wall of the sleeve 52 is forced into the groove 64 as indicated by the annular groove 65 inthe sleeve. This construction tends to stiffen the sleeve, to prevent it unfolding from cylindrical form and to prevent relative longitudinal movement between the hub and the sleeve.

The method of using the invention is as follows: Normally the starting apparatus is in the position shown in Fig. 1 in which the pinion 30 is demeshed from the engine gear and the motor switch is open. To start the engine the pedal 47 is depressed thereby causing the lever 42 to rotate counterclockwise in order to move the pin 51 and the sleeve 52 longitudinally of the shaft and to the right of the drawings. The slot 53 is a spiral of variable pitch and the pin 51 engages that portion of the slot wall which is the lesser in pitch so that, initially, the tendency of the pin to move the sleeve 52 longitudinally is greater than the tendency to rotate the sleeve; therefore the sleeve 52 will move toward the right and the clutch teeth 54 will engage the clutch teeth 56 provided by the pinion 30. In case the pinion teeth abut the ends of the gear teeth, motion of the sleeie 52 will be arrested; but, if the operator continues to press the pedal 47, the pinion 30 will be rotated due to the co-operation of the pin 51 with the spiral slot 53 of the sleeve. When the pinion teeth register with the gear tooth space of the gear 31, the pinion 30 will move into mesh with the gear 31. After the pinion 30 has been nearly fully meshed with the gear 31, the lever arm 42 will engage the switch plunger 43 and the motor switch 44 will be closed. When this occurs, the shaft 22 will be rotated in a clockwise direction as viewed from the right of the drawings and as indicated by the arrow in Figs. 1 and 4, thereby causing the pinion 30 to be moved away from the sleeve 52 and into engagement with the ring 25, then the pinion 30 will rotate with the shaft 22 and the engine gear 31 will be rotated to crank the engine.

When the engine becomes self-operative the pinion will be automatically demeshed. Demeshing will occur although the operator may maintain pressure upon the pedal 47, as it is apparent from Figs. 4 and 5 that the sleeve 52 is free to move toward the left in order not to interfere with the demeshing of the pinion. While the pin and slot connections between the sleeve and the lever permit movement of the sleeve by the pinion when the pinion is demeshed from the engine gear, this operation does not always occur. It happens more frequently that the sleeve 52 is returned to normal position before the engine becomes self-operative. This feature of the invention is due to the fact that there is always some friction between the sleeve hub and the shaft 22; therefore when the shaft 22 is operated by the motor, the hub 60 and the sleeve 52 will be rotated in the direction of the arrow while the pin 51 is maintained in the position shown in Fig. 4. Consequently the rotation of the shaft 22 before the engine becomes self-operative will cause the sleeve 52 to be threaded along the pin 51 and to be moved into normal or non-operating position shown in Fig. 5. Therefore demeshing of the pinion 32 will take place without any engagement between the clutch teeth 54 and 56. y 1

After the operator releases the pedal 47, the spring 50 will be released to move the pedal upwardly and to return the lever 42 to the position shown in Fig. 1. During this operation a spring 43 will be released to move the switch plunger 43 from the position shown in Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig. 1 in order to open the motor switch.

Means cooperating with the sleeve 52 and the shaft 22 are provided for resisting the tendency of the sleeve to rotate at the beginning of its movement from non-operating position, or toward the right from the posi tion shown in Fig. 1. This means comprises a metal brake disc fixed to the shaft 22, a. floating disc 81 of yieldable material, such as cork, and a brake disc 82 attached to the sleeve hub 60. Disc 82 is provided with a hole for receiving a tang 83 provided by the sleeve 52, in order drivingly to connect said disc and sleeve. The parts 80, 81 and 82 are maintained normally in engagement by the spring 50 which urges the lever arm 42 toward the left as viewed in Fig. 1. Hence, normally, the brake members 80, 81 and 82 tend to maintain the sleeve 52 fixed relative to the shaft 22. hen the lever arm 42 i. begins its movement toward the right, the

brake members are apparently not instantly disengaged, but tend to resist rotation of the sleeve 52 after the sleeve has begun to move toward the right. Apparently the cork' disc 81 expands axially sufliciently to maintain friction between the brake members after motion of the sleeve has begun. Since resistance to endwise movement of the sleeve is overcome before removing resistance to rotation of the sleeve, the tendency of the sleeve to move endwise will be greater, initially, than the tendency for the sleeve to rotate. Hence the possibility of the sleeve rotating without moving endwise has been minimized.

The brake members 80, 81 and 82 cooperate with the pinion shifting mechanism for the further purpose of bringing the motor shaft 22 quickly to rest after the operator releases the pedal 47. It is apparent that the spring 50 will urge the brake member 82 toward the brake members 81 and 80. Since the brake member 82 is prevented from rotating freely with the shaft 22 by reason of engagement of the pinion 51 with the sleeve 52, the brake disc 82 will function as a stationary brake member cooperating with the movable brake discs quickly to arrest motion of the shaft 22. In case the engine should make a false start, that is, if the engine should become self-operative for a time sufficient to demesh the pinion 30 from the gear 31 but should not continue to be self-operative, the operator will not need to wait for a substantial period to elapse for the motor shaft to stop rotating before repeating the pinion shifting operation. In. case of a false start, the operator may release the pedal to restore the gear shifting mechanism to normal condition, and then may almost immediately depress the pedal to repeat the starting operation.

The present invention provides other means for resisting the tendency of the sleeve to rotate at the beginning of its movement from normal position toward the right. This additional means comprises a plunger 85 (see Fig. 3) which is guided by recess 86 provided in the flange 62 of the hub 60. A spring 87 urges the plunger 85 toward a portion of the shaft 22 which is provided with a plurality' of relatively shallow, extending grooves 88 for a shaftwhich is about of an inch in diameter. Due to the cooperation of the plunger 85 with any of the grooves 88, the tendency of the sleeve 52 to move longitudinally of the shaft is greater than the tendency to rotate at the beginning of the motion of the sleeve 52 toward the right from its position shown in Fig. 1. At the beginning of the movement just referred to, there will be a tendency for the sleeve 52 to rotate in the direction of the arrow 70 as the lever 42 begins to move counterclockwise. Initially, the relation of the pin 51 to the slot 53 is such that the tendency of the sleeve to move longitudinally is 1- greater than the tendency to rotate. The tendency of the sleeve to move longitudinally rather than to rotate is therefore augmented by the cooperation of the plunger 85 with the grooves 88as well as by the cooperation of longitudinally w the brake members 80, 81 and 82. ,This is a desirabl-efeature since it is apparent that only longitudinal motion of the sleeve 52 is requiredprior to engagement of the pinion 30 with .the flywheel gear 31. Satisfactory operation has been obtained with the use of the plunger 85 and the fluted shaft without using the axially expanding brake disc 81. For this purpose the grooves or flutes 88 should be about .010 of an inch deep and for a shaft which is about of an inch in diameter there should be about 20 flutes.

In case of back-fire during the gear meshing operation, the pinion will be moved toward the right from the position shown in Fig. 4,and out of engagement with the sleeve clutch teeth. 7

From the foregoing description of the construction and mode of operation of the present invention, it will be apparent that the invention possesses the advantages of simpplicity and durability of construction and reliability of operation. The number of parts required for the starter drive is very small and they may be constructed and assembled 'atyer'y low cost.- Owing to the simplicity of construction the parts may be made relatively rugged and substantial and therefore very durable. With this form of invention the starter pinion is meshed with the engine gear before the motoris operatechhence liability ofdanger to. the gear teeth has been substantially reduced. The pinion may be demeshed from the engine gear automatically, should the operator forget to release the starter pedal when the engine becomes selfoperative. Since the starter drive provides no obstruction to the, demeshing movement of thepinion, the apparatus will berelatively quiet in operation.

While the form of'embodiment ofthe present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form,.it is to be understood that other forms might .be adopted, all coming within the scoperof the claims which follow. 1 What is claimed is as follows:

1. Engine starting apparatus comprising, in combination, a motor; a shaft operated V by the motor means for connecting the shaft with the gear of an-engineto be started and including a pinion mounted on the shaft 'forilongitudinal movement thereof and rotary movement therewith .and provisions whereby the pinion will be automatically demeshed from the engine gear when the engine starts; means for shifting the pinion endwise into mesh with the engine gear and for rotating the pinion in case the pinion teeth'collide with the engine gear teeth, said means including a sleeve movable along the shaft and provided with slot oblique to the shaft, and a pinmovable longitudinally of the shaft and engaging the slot, whereby the pin and sleeve may move together to move the pinion into mesh with the engine gear and whereby the sleeve may be rotated in case movement thereof is obstructed, said sleeve and pinion having clutching means for imparting rotation to the pinion; and means tending to resist rotation of the sleeve element relative to the shaft element, said means comprising a friction member attached to one of said elements and engageable with the other of said elements.

2. Engine starting apparatus according to claim 1, in which the means tending to resist rotation of the sleeve relative to the shaft comprises a friction element carried by the sleeve and engaging the shaft.

3. Engine starting apparatus according to claim 1, in which the means tending to resist rotation of the sleeve relative to the shaft comprises a member carried by the sleeve and adapted to move radially toward the shaft, and a spring for urging the member toward the shaft.

l. Engine starting apparatus according to claim 1, in which the means tending to resist rotation of the sleeve relative to the shaft comprises a plunger carried by the sleeve and a spring for urging the plunger into engagement with the shaft.

5. Engine starting apparatus according to claim 1, in which the means tending to resist rotation of the sleeve relative to the shaft comprises a plunger carried by the sleeve and a spring for urging the plunger into engagement with the shaft, the shaft being provided with a plurality of relatively shallow grooves extending longitudinally thereof and each grooves being adapted to receive the plunger.

6. Engine starting apparatus comprising,

in combination, a motor; a shaft operated by the motor; means for connecting the shaft with the gear of an engine to be started and including a pinion mounted on the shaft for longitudinal movement thereof and rotary movement therewith and provisions whereby the pinion will be automatically demeshed from the engine gear when the engine starts; means for shifting the pinion endwise into mesh with the engine gear and for rotating the pinion in case the pinion teeth collide with the engine gear teeth, said means including a sleeve movable along the shaft, and manually operable means for imparting endwise movement to the sleeve in order to move the pinion into mesh with the engine gear, said manually operable means having connections with the sleeve which are constructed and arranged to rotate the sleeve in case movement of the sleeve is obstructed, said sleeve and pinion having clutching means for imparting rotation to the pinion; and means tending to resist rotation of the sleeve element relative to the shaft element, said means comprising a friction member attached to one of said elements and engageable with the other of said elements.

7. Engine starting apparatus comprising, in combination, a motor; a shaft operated by the motor; a pinion drivingly connected with the shaft and movable axially into driving connection with a gear connected with an engine to be started; means for shifting the pinion endwise into mesh with the engine gear and for rotating the pinion in case the pinion teeth collide with the engine gear teeth, said means including a sleeve movable along the shaft and provided with slot oblique to the shaft, and a pin movable longitudinally of the shaft and engaging the slot, whereby the pin and sleeve may move together to move the pinion into mesh with the engine gear and whereby the sleeve may be rotated in case movement thereof is obstructed, said sleeve and pinion having clutching means for imparting rotation to the pinion; and means tending to resist rotation of the sleeve element relative to the shaft element, said means comprising a friction member attached to one of said elements and engageable with the other of said elements.

8. Engine starting apparatus according to claim 7, in which the means tending to resist rotation of the sleeve relative to the shaft comprises a friction element carried by the sleeve and engaging the shaft.

9. Engine starting apparatus according to claim 7, in which the means tending to resist rotation of the sleeve relative to the shaft comprises a member carried by the sleeve and adapted to move raidally toward the shaft, and a spring for urging the member toward the shaft.

10. Engine starting apparatus according to claim 7, in which the means tending to resist rotation of the sleeve relative to the shaft comprises a plunger carried by the sleeve and a spring for urging the plunger into engagement with the shaft.

11. Engine starting apparatus according to claim 7, in which the means tending to resist rotation of the sleeve relative to the shaft comprises a plunger carried by the sleeve and a spring for urging the plunger into ongagement with the shaft, the shaft being provided with a plurality of relatively shallow grooves extending longitudinally thereof and each groove being adapted to receive the plunger.

12. Engine starting apparatus comprising, in combination, a motor; a shaft operated by the motor; a pinion drivingly connected with the shaft and movable axially into driving connection with a gear connected with an engine to be started; means for shifting the pinion endwise into mesh with the engine gear and for rotating the pinion in case the pinion teeth collide with the engine gear teeth, said means including a sleeve movable along the shaft, and manually operable means for imparting endwise movement to the sleeve in order to move the pinion into mesh with the engine gear, said manually operable means having connections with the sleeve which are constructed and arranged to rotate the sleeve in case movement of the sleeve is obstructed, said sleeve and pinion having clutching means for imparting rota tion to the pinion and means tending to resist rotation of the sleeve element relative to the shaft element, said means comprising a friction member attached to one of said elements and engageable with the other of said elements.

13. Engine starting apparatus comprising in combination, a motor; a shaft element operated by the motor; a pinion drivingly connected with the motor and movable endwise into mesh with a gear connected with an engine to be started; means for shifting the pinion endwise into mesh with the gear an d for rotating the pinion in case the pinion teeth collide with the engine gear teeth, said means including a pusher element mounted upon the shaft for axial and rotary movements relative thereto, and a part movable along said. shaft and having connections with the pusher element such that the part tends to impart rotary and axial movements to the pusher element; means for transmitting rotary movements from the pusher element to the pinion; and means tending to resist rotation of the pusher element and comprising a part supported by one of said elements (the pusher element or the shaft element) and engageable with the other element.

In testimony whereof I hereto aliix my sig nature.

GEORGE W. ELSEY. 

